Olesya Yurivna Rulin (Russian: OÐ»eÑÑ Ð®ÑÑÐµÐ²Ð½Ð° PÑÐ»Ð¸Ð½; born March 17, 1986) is a Russian actress. She is best known for co-starring in all of the three films of the High School Musical franchise as Kelsi Nielsen. She also starred in the films Private Valentine: Blonde & Dangerous (2008), Flying By (2009), Expecting Mary (2010), and Family Weekend (2013).

Early life

Olesya Rulin was born in Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union. She spent her early childhood in Likhoslavl.

Rulin was eight when she emigrated to the United States to rejoin her father who had done so two years earlier. They lived first in Texas then later in Utah.

Rulin is also a trained ballet dancer. When she was 12, she entered a model search contest at the urging of her mother and won representation by four different agencies. She can also play the piano.

Prior to acting full-time, she worked for a year as a certified nursing assistant and also at stores such as Victoria's Secret; she was working at a Nordstrom store when the first High School Musical came out. She was studying economics in Paris when the casting for High School Musical 2 was being done. Rulin graduated from West Jordan High School in 2005.

She can read, write, and speak in fluent Russian.

Olesya dedicated a lot of time to charity where she cleaned up several beaches, spent time with dogs that were without a house, and gave away some dresses for charity.

Acting career

In addition to her role in High School Musical and High School Musical 2, and High School Musical 3, her other credits include the Disney Channel Original Movies Halloweentown High, The Poof Point, and Hounded, the television series Everwood and the feature films Forever Strong, Mobsters and Mormons and The Dance.

Rulin's part in High School Musical 2 was significantly larger than the first movie, including a solo in "You Are The Music In Me" and a few lines in "Work This Out". Rulin reprised her role as Kelsi Nielsen in High School Musical 3: Senior Year, also with a larger part, and performed in three songs, one of them being a duet alongside Lucas Grabeel.

Rulin is also co-starred alongside Jessica Simpson in the film Major Movie Star (released in the United States under the title Private Valentine: Blonde & Dangerous). In 2009, Rulin co-starred with Billy Ray Cyrus and Heather Locklear in a drama film Flying By.